Major European airports hit by hackers – reports

Over 70 flights in London, Berlin, and Brussels were cancelled over the weekend because of the disruption.

Several major airports across Europe have faced electronic check-in and boarding system disruptions that have led to flight cancellations and delays over the weekend. The issue has been linked to a cyberattack on the services provider, according to several media reports.

London’s Heathrow, as well as airports in Berlin and Brussels, were among those affected. Seventy-three flights in those three cities were cancelled in less than two days, the Guardian reported.

More than 130 flights had been delayed at Heathrow alone as of Sunday morning, the report said, adding that Brussels airport also had to delay all 80 flights scheduled for the first half of Sunday. Dublin and Cork airports in Ireland were affected as well, according to AFP.

The disruptions started on Friday night and continued into Sunday. Brussels airport also warned that flight delays and cancellations are expected on Monday as well. The incident was blamed on a “cyberattack on the American company Collins Aerospace, the external provider of check-in and boarding systems,” a statement by the airport read, adding that “it is still unclear when the issue will be resolved.”

The company confirmed the episode to AFP on Saturday, saying that it had “become aware of a cyber-related disruption to our MUSE software in select airports.”

The outages only affected electronic services, with manual check-ins and baggage drops still possible. The airports warned passengers about longer waiting times and urged them to check their flight status in advance.

It is still unclear who could be behind the cyberattack, as no groups claimed responsibility or made any demands. Collins Aerospace was hit by ransom-seeking hackers in 2023, Reuters reported, citing several breach-hacking websites. The company did not answer the news agency’s request for comment.

Image credit: Nick Fewings